LIGNET: Al-Qaeda ‘Hit List’ Could Wipe Out US Gains in Yemen

Yemeni army soldiers outside the home of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi during a demonstration against terrorism and assassinations in Sanaa, the capital, on September 12, 2012. (MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/GettyImages)

The recent assassinations of a Yemeni intelligence officer and a Yemeni citizen working at the U.S. embassy were more than propaganda victories for al-Qaeda. The killings raise the possibility that the terrorists have a list of Yemeni officials that they intend to target. The existence of such a list would undermine the U.S.-funded effort to bolster government forces in this small country on the Arabian Peninsula that has become al-Qaeda’s new base of operations.